Tag Archives: baseball

Random Video of the Undetermined Amount of Time: The Start of the 1983 World Series

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On Youtube, you can find almost anything. For example, the start of the 1983 World Series between the Orioles and Phillies, Live (back then) from Memorial Stadium. ABC had the game, and had Al Michaels, Howard Cosell and Earl Weaver in the booth. It’s a little cut up (we only catch the end of a interview with a young Cal Ripken, and they don’t have the National Anthem), but it still is neat.

It’s interesting to me to see how this is different from how the World Series is broadcast these days, partially due to technology, as well as just some general differences and observations:

  • The graphics are extremely low tech, popping up very quickly in yellow and white to tell us that we are looking at “Claude Osteen, Pitching Coach”. Oh, but the managers? Their names flash in a strobe of technicolors, which no doubt gave some people seizures back in the day.
  • And we see the entire teams getting announced before pre-game, like it was the All-Star Game. I vaguely remember that this was done at least earlier in my lifetime, but I can’t remember FOX ever doing it.
  • All of the guys in the booth have bright gold-yellow jackets, as back then apparently network announcers had to have coordinated uniforms, much like the people on the field.
  • Oh, and one of the biggest differences between now and then: Nowadays, that players wouldn’t so clearly and openly be using chewing tobacco (check their cheeks). Oh, they are still using it, but not as many.
  • Orioles fans remembered Kiko Garcia.
  • I like how the Phillies brought the Phanatic along on the road. I don’t seem to recall them doing that during their more recent World Series appearances.
  • Joe Morgan, Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt were the first three in the starting lineup for the Phillies. They’d also make a good first three guy in the lineup for a 1970s National League All-Star Team. Sadly for the Phillies, it was 1983 and the two members of the Big Red Machine were on the downside of their careers. Also, apologies to Sixto Lezcano, but I honestly have to say I had to look that name up on Baseball Reference.
  • Trivia factoid: Jim Palmer is the only man to win a World Series game in three different decades.
  • Ballplayers in the 1980s had way more awesome hair. Behold the impressive Afro of Eddie Murray when he tips his hat to the crowd.
  • Notice how Scott McGregor is said to be in the “ninth position” of the lineup. This is because, from 1976 to 1985, the DH was in effect FOR ALL GAMES REGARDLESS OF VENUE in even years for the World Series, but not odd years. And that, in my opinion, is a weird and often forgotten fact.

Great Baseball Lies: No, the tie does NOT go to the runner! Maybe. It’s complicated.

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It is a rule born of the schoolyard, and of Little Leagues, repeated by announcers and fans throughout the nation: if the ball and the runner tie, especially at first base, then the tie goes to the runner.

I myself believed it. But, it turns out, it is isn’t true. The Hardball Times has a good article about it, but it is basically this: there are no actual rules that say anything about ties. Therefore, a good reading of the rules would suggest that the ties don’t even exist, either a runner has clearly beaten the ball, or he hasn’t.

As Hardball Times notes, the rules that govern safe and out are these:

Rule 6.05 (j) A batter is out when, after a third strike or after he hits a fair ball, he or first base is tagged before he touches first base.

Rule 7.01 A runner acquires the right to an unoccupied base when he touches it before he is out. He is then entitled to it until he is put out, or forced to vacate it for another runner legally entitled to that base.

Rule 7.08 (e) Any runner is out when he or the next base is tagged before he touches the next base….

As you can see, there is nothing said about a tie. Basically, it depends upon what rule is followed. Veteran umpire Tim McClelland, for example, goes by the middle rule, and basically says that since the batter didn’t “beat” the throw to first, then he is out. This makes a sort of sense when you look at that rule (7.01): if there WAS a tie, then you couldn’t exactly say that the runner had acquired the base BEFORE he was out.

However, former umpire Jim Evans says that actually, the runner is safe, since he had gotten to the base before he was out. So, in other words, in the case of the tie it could be said that, during a “tie” the runner beat the ball to the bag.

In short, it depends on the umpire.

Panic in the Bronx

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Derek Jeter said on Monday that he wasn’t panicking. In fact, I seem to recall him saying that nobody was panicking, and was even asking the press if they were panicking.

Rule of thumb number one of panicking: If you have to say you aren’t panicking, you probably are panicking, and if you aren’t, you probably will be soon.

On Tuesday night, Joe Girardi was ejected after doing the full Earl Weaver routine.

Rule of thumb number two of panicking: When you have a short fuse shortly after people start wondering if you should be panicking, you are panicking.

Oh, and the Yankees lost tonight, to fall into a tie with the Baltimore Orioles- in September, and only a game and a half up on the Tampa Rays. Which leads to the third rule of thumb of panicking:

When you are panicking, your enemies will take advantage.

It’s Labor Day, and Baseball remains the most peaceful work environment in sports

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What the heck is going on? No, I’m not talking about how the Orioles continue to defy the laws of the universe (again), I’m talking about how, on this Labor Day, Major League Baseball remains the most stable place in sports when it comes to the relations between players and management. Yes, baseball, the sport that had one strike force the season to become a split-season and the World Series get cancelled, and which at one point in the early 2000s seemed to be headed towards another strike, is the best example of labor harmony.

Meanwhile, the NBA lost a significant portion of it’s season last year, the NFL narrowly avoided a work stoppage with it’s players and now is using scab referees due to a dispute with the usual refs, and the NHL is headed down the road to another work stoppage, which could very well annihilate another whole season.

Remember when the NHL was a major sport on ESPN and everything, and not just something that was only popular in about 6 American markets and could only be found on NBC properties? That little transition from being part of the Big Four to being on the outside looking in on the Big Three happened when they lost an entire season to the 2004-2005 lockout. Who knows what might happen if they again end up with a lost season? The Europeans could just say “Screw this, I’m going home” and depart to teams in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, never to return. What little interest in hockey that there exists in the the United States outside of the Northeast and Upper Midwest will disintegrate even more than before. But, by all accounts, the NHL and the NHLPA seem destined to run straight into the abyss again.

So why is baseball avoiding those problems? Partially it’s because MLB is making so much money that it doesn’t really matter, and the revenue sharing has allowed even the worst teams to spin a hefty profit. The same is not true for the NBA and NHL, and the fact it was more-or-less true in the NFL was one of the main reasons why there was only one preseason game that was lost.

However, the bigger reason is, in my opinion, basically the realization by both the owners and the MLBPA that to have a work stoppage, especially a work stoppage that cancels the playoffs, is a case of mutually assured destruction. Even if one side were to “win”, they’d end up far worse off than they had been before. The 1994 strike was proof of that: fans abandoned baseball until Cal Ripken, the home run chase and the late-90s Yankees dynasty brought it back. However, had the 2002 labor dispute ended in a work stoppage, there was no guarantee that any heroes would come over the hill to save the day. It just wasn’t worth the risk, so they came to terms, and have done so every CBA since.

That lesson, alas, has not yet come to the NHL.

The races that will define September

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It’s September, and while Green Day once asked that they be woken up when it ends, baseball fans would be wise to stay awake, because, once again, September looks like it will be a crazy month for baseball. Here are some (but not all) of the big races to look for:

The Chase for the AL East

The AL East will feature many games between the division’s teams this month, but the ones that will really count will be the ones between the Yankees, Orioles and Rays. Including games that have already been played or are being played as I type this, the Yankees and Orioles will face each other six times, the Orioles and Rays will face each other three times, and the Yankees and Rays will face each other six times. The Orioles and Yankees have so far split their first two games of their series (including the last day of August). The Yankees appear to be in control here, especially if they win today’s game against the Orioles, who are still somehow only three games back despite the fact that the run-differential suggests they should probably be closer to three games from being mathematically eliminated than three games out of first.

The race in the AL East will be interwoven with….

The AL Wild Card

The following teams have a chance at the AL Wild Card spots: The three division leaders, the Athletics, the Orioles, the Rays, the Tigers and the Angels. I can honestly say that I have no idea who will win this, other than that it will likely come down to not who had the best season, but who has the best September- a team needs to get hot to win this, and then remain hot during the one-game wild card game. An interesting twist: due to the fact that the Wild Cards will probably have to use their best pitchers to get a spot to begin with, it could get very interesting as to who they will be able to start if they make the play-in game.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on the possibility that there is a tie for the second-place wild card. If that happens, it will be madness, the baseball equivalent of the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Any team that could survive the ensuing gauntlet would probably become target practice for whatever division leader they then face. Unless, of course, the wild card survivor had gained so much momentum that they slice through the entire playoffs like a buzzsaw.

AL Central

The Tigers are going to win this, right? Right? I mean, they have Verlander. And Prince Fielder. And… wait, the White Sox are still in first? I’m telling you, the Robin Ventura hiring looks more genius by the day, and in any other year (such a year where Buck Showalter isn’t bringing the Orioles to a month away from the playoffs), he’d be shoo-in for manager of the year.

 

NL Wild Card

Like the AL Wild Card, but slightly less crazy, I cannot even fathom a guess as to who will get those two spots.

 

No, Joe Mauer is not getting traded.

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So, apparently Joe Mauer has been placed on waivers. Now, technically, seemingly every player is placed on waivers at one point or another almost every year, just as a formality to get an idea of what is out there. 99.8% of the time, it seems, nothing happens. But he’s Joe Mauer, the Dodgers and Red Sox recently had one of those 0.2% exceptions, and having speculation that one of the league’s best catchers is on waivers is a good way to get page views. Why, I’m guilty of that last one myself with this.

So, is Joe Mauer getting traded?

No. I can say with 99.8% certainty- albeit with the caveat that I do not have any sources in any Major League front offices- that he is now. Three reasons:

1) He’s Joe Mauer. He might not be as popular in the Twin Cities as he once was, and he probably is never going to be able to hit for power like he used to, but he remains the Twins’ most popular player and biggest drawing card. With the Twins now getting the 2014 All-Star Game, and with little else to cheer about, it would be a PR disaster to get rid of Joe Mauer for anything less than for multiple All-Stars.

2) Even if they did want to trade him, it’s unlikely anybody would have something to offer and be able to take on all of his salary. Okay, the Dodgers seemingly have broken into the Yankees’ room and stolen their “unlimited money” cheat codes, but money alone wouldn’t do it. It’s highly unlikely anybody would be able to offer both the money and the players needed for such a deal.

3) Players are placed on waivers all the time and nothing ever happens. And there is no reason to believe this is any different.

Putting baseball money in perspective

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$5.6 Billion: The amount of money ESPN is spending over a eight-year extension of their MLB broadcasting rights.

$700 Million: The average per-year cost of that deal.

$695 Million: The current GDP of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, given current exchange rates, according to the CIA World Factbook.

$1.85 billion: The value of the New York Yankees in 2012, according to Forbes. This is tied for third in the world, behind only Manchester United and Real Madrid and tied with the Dallas Cowboys.

$1.81 billion: Forbes estimate of the approx. value of the four most valuable NHL teams (Maple Leafs, Rangers, Canadiens, Red Wings) in 2011… combined.

$1.68 billion: Forbes 2012 estimate of the combined value of the NBA’s two most valuable teams (the Lakers and the Knicks).

$321 million: The value of the Oakland Athletics in 2012, according to Forbes. This makes them the least valuable MLB team. This still would put them sixth in the NHL and 19th on the list of Forbes’ most valuable soccer teams in the world.

$3,440,000: Average salary of an MLB player.

$2,921,713: 2011 prize money of Yani Tseng, the best female golf player in the world.

$1.2 million: Babe Ruth’s highest yearly salary ($80,000 in 1930-31), adjusted for inflation. This would make him about the 20th highest-paid player on the 2012 Yankees, behind David Robertson and just beating out Raul Ibanez.

$480,000: Minimum salary of an MLB player.

$400,000: Salary of the President of the United States.

$244,228.72: Honus Wagner’s 1912 salary of $10,000, adjusted for inflation.

$2.35 million: Cost of the T206 Honus Wagner baseball card that once belonged to Wayne Gretzky.

$2.88: The price of a ticket, adjusted for inflation, to the 1858 game between All-Stars representing New York and Brooklyn, believed to have been the first game where admission was charged.

$28: The cheapest ticket available on the Mets website for a upcoming game against the Braves. The All-Star game is in Flushing next year, and it probably will be even more expensive.

In other words: There is a lot of money in baseball, and it’s only gotten richer over the years.

 

How Baseball is Different

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Baseball is a weird game, completely unlike anything else in the North American sportscape (with the exception of it’s children) and like few other sports in the world, period.

For example:

Baseball can, literally, last forever: There is no limit to the number of innings in most competitive leagues (in certain parts of Asia, there are ties, and in some international competitions there are runners that start on the bases after 11 or 12 innings, but those are exceptions). There have been baseball games that have gone 25 innings, 26 innings and then called only because of curfew, and the professional record: 33 innings. In theory, if you played an infinite amount of baseball games, you would eventually have a game played that would continue until the end of the universe.

There are, of course, other sports that can go far past their ordinarily defined bounds. Tennis, for example, has had some very, very long matches, and basketball and playoff hockey have seen games that go several overtimes, but it still happens the most in baseball.

The defense has possession of the ball: Only other bat-and-ball games, such as cricket, have a similar situation. When there is a interception or fumble recovery in football, the defense has the ball, in a way, but that is more a case of the defense becoming the offense.

It is built upon failure: Can you imagine if a NFL quarterback made only three out of every 10 passes? He’d be run out of the league, possibly with pitchforks. But in baseball, somebody who hits three out of 10 balls safely is good, and somebody who hits four out of 10 is a legend.

You can avoid the best offensive player: In football, you can try to kick it away from Devin Hester. In basketball, you can try to foul a big man. But only in baseball can you just, well, pass the biggest offensive threat entirely, by giving him an intentional walk. You can even do it with the bases loaded- it’s happened a few times, including to Nap Lajoie, Barry Bonds and (most recently) Josh Hamilton.

The field is different everywhere: While the diamond itself is the same everywhere, every ballpark has different quirks and dimensions that can affect the game. Fenway Park is completely different from Yankee Stadium, which is different from Dodger Stadium or Camden Yards. No other sport has that. Can you imagine if Soldier Field had a semi-circular end-zone and wider goal posts, while Lambeau’s northern half was only 25 yards long with an extremely narrow goal post while the southern side was normal? What if Madison Square Garden had the NCAA three-point line while Boston had the hoop a little higher up? Well, that’s basically what baseball is like: every playing field has differences.

There are, of course, other differences… can you think of any?

Bizarre baseball connections and other trivia

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Weird connections between baseball and other areas, most of which have nothing to do with baseball. All of these are true:

  • Victor Conte, steroid guru, was a member of the band Tower of Power for a few years in the seventies and eighties.
  • Todd Zeile is a direct descendant of President John Adams.
  • Reggie Jackson was considered for the role of Geordi LaForge in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  • Umpire Cal Hubbard is the only man in the baseball and pro football Halls of Fame.
  • Hugo Bezdek is the only man to manage a MLB team (Pirates from 1917-1919) and NFL team (Cleveland Rams, 1937-38). He also coached college football, college basketball and college baseball at one time or another.
  • Casey Candaele, who played for the Expos, Astros and Indians during the 80s and 90s, was the son of Helen Callaghan, a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
  • Ted Williams was John Glenn’s wingman in the Korean War.
  • Pitcher Trevor Bell, who pitched parts of the previous three seasons with the Angels but who is no longer in the majors, is the grandson of the original Bozo the Clown.
  • Todd Helton was replaced by Peyton Manning at QB at the University of Tennessee and ended up being his backup. Seth Smith was Eli Manning’s backup at Ole Miss. Helton and Smith were both on the Rockies from 2007 to 2011.
  • The Albuquerque Isotopes take their name from a episode of The Simpsons where the local baseball team, the Springfield Isotopes, almost moved to Albuquerque. Although to be fair, New Mexico certainly does have connections with nuclear isotopes.

Updates on previous posts

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Let’s look back at developments from some previous posts….

Oh, and the Cubs still stink, so the world isn’t ending.